Past Tense
by M. Marchand
Summary: Don's history with Kim is out in the open. Now it's Charlie's turn.


Acknowledgments:  
Omi as always  
To my readers on the BTN announce list for inspiring me to write  
some Counterfeit Reality inspired fic  
This one goes out to Kendra in particular

Disclaimers:  
"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
I do not own the characters Charlie, Don, or Terry nor do I have any  
rights to anything related to the TV show Numb3rs. I plead fair use  
and claim only my own writing and characters.

* * *

"Don! Over here!"

Don sees Charlie's hand waving above the throngs of academics and threads his way through the crowds with Terry's hand on his shoulder, trying to follow in his wake.

"Hey, buddy! Congratulations!" Charlie wins academic awards with the regularity that other people pick up their dry cleaning but this one was a big one and Don really is proud of his baby brother.

The two men embrace affectionately and then Terry leans in for a kiss and hug as well.

"Your speech was amazing, Charlie. Almost as good as the flower one," she teases.

"Well, you can't fall back on the Fibonacci sequence every time!" Charlie laughs.

Don looks around. "I lost Dad, have you seen him yet?"

"Yeah, he found me right off and now he's talking to Larry." Charlie gestures off to the right and Don can make out his father and the physics professor engaging in a lively discussion.

"Terry, would you excuse us for a minute? There's someone I want Don to meet."

"Sure," Terry's always agreeable. "I'll go say hi to Larry. See you in a few minutes."

Don gives his brother a questioning glance. "Who could you possibly want me to meet that you wouldn't want to introduce to Terry?"

"It's not that... It's more, well... Just wait here for a second."

Charlie steps away for a few seconds and returns escorting a knockout redhead. She's tall, actually taller than him by a little bit in the heels she's wearing, curvy and beautiful. She's also probably older than him by at least five or even ten years, making her closer to Don's age than to Charlie's.

To Don's practiced eye he can tell the hand Charlie is escorting her with at the small of her back is too low to be professional. It's low enough and almost possessive enough to be... Don was finding it hard to believe... intimate.

"Don, I'd like to introduce you to Dr. Natalie Adair. She's a professor at USC. Natalie this is my brother, Don, the one I've told you about."

"A pleasure to meet you Agent Eppes." Natalie's voice is soothing, almost an aural sedative and she shakes Don's hand standing closer to him than is necessary even given the crowded confines of the room.

"Please, call me Don. So are you also a math professor, Dr. Adair?"

Natalie flashes Don an incredible smile. "Please, call me Natalie. No, I'm in Physics. Charles and I met through Larry. Larry was my thesis advisor when I got my doctorate many years ago."

To Don, Natalie says his brother's name, even though it's the formal version, with such familiarity it confirms his suspicions about their connection.

"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't that long ago," Don says with a smile.

"You're very gracious, Don. I can see how you and your brother are alike."

"Really?" Don raises his eyebrow at Charlie. "I'd like to hear about that."

Charlie doesn't take the bait. He only leans in closer to Natalie, speaking into her ear with an intimacy that no longer surprises Don, except for the fact that his brother is willing to let him see it. Forget willing, it's almost as if Charlie is deliberately showing him that he can be smooth with a woman. Don doesn't hear what Charlie says to her but Natalie reaches out and shakes his hand again.

"It was nice meeting you, Don. I hope we run into each other again sometime soon."

"Likewise," Don nods and gives her hand a little squeeze, which she smiles at. Charlie certainly isn't the only Eppes who knows what to do around women.

"I'll see you later?" Natalie gives Charlie a look as she's backing away that is equal parts expectation and confirmation.

"I'll try to stop by." Charlie's tone is non-committal but the subtext in his voice says yes.

Both men watch Natalie walk off into the crowd.

"Her legs go all the way down to the ground, don't they?" Don whistles.

"And all the way back up again," Charlie chuckles.

"Look at you!" Don punches his brother in the arm, his voice in a joshing tone. "Where did all that come from?"

"Well, I'd been thinking about what you said about us being from different worlds, about how you meant to tell me about your engagement to Kim, about how we'd lost touch with each other... But mostly it hit me when you said you had no idea who I dated three years ago."

Don realizes what Charlie is saying. "You're kidding."

"No, Natalie was who I was seeing three years ago. I wanted you to know. I wanted you to meet her."

"Get out! She's hot! I thought there was something going on with you two. You guys were way too familiar with each other even though she does call you Charles."

"Charles is my name, Don. Even Larry calls me Charles and I've known him my entire adult life, actually longer."

"Yeah, but you're Charlie!" Don couldn't picture anyone who knew Charlie well, save Larry, calling him Charles.

Charlie shrugs.

"So why'd you two stop seeing each other?"

Charlie raises his eyebrow at Don, mocking his earlier expression. "Who says we did?"

"So, later means..."

"Don, what I do as an adult is none of yours or Dad's business."

"But I should just tell Dad not to wait up for you."

"Don, I'm a grown man. Dad stopped waiting up for me when I hit eighteen. Okay, maybe twenty but still..."

Don shakes his head. "Sorry, Charlie, but in my mind you're just a big kid and I can't wrap my head around the idea of you having sex with anyone, much less an attractive older woman like that."

"Well then it should blow your mind to find out I'm really good at it. How do you think I kept an older woman like that interested in me for so long?" Charlie smirks at Don and then walks off to join Terry and their father.

Don just stands there for a minute, stunned. A whole new perspective on his little brother is appearing in his head. It's complete with visuals - some of them unwelcome. After a moment, he shakes himself and brings his awareness back to the room around him.

"Wow. Evidently it did blow my mind," Don mutters to no one as he walks away.


End file.
